A typical electrical retarding system includes a retarding grid, which includes a series of resistors and insulators, through which thermal energy is dissipated when electrical current passes through the resistors. Due to the size of the machine and the magnitude of the momentum retarded, large amounts of thermal energy may be dissipated through the resistors and insulators as heat, which significantly elevate the temperatures of the resistors and insulators.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,378,808 (“the '808 patent”) issued to Kuras et al. discloses an electric drive system. The electric drive system has a power source and a generator operatively connected to the power source. The generator is configured to produce a power output. The electric drive system also has at least one capacitor configured to store a supply of power. The electric drive system further has a common bus configured to direct the power output to the capacitor.
The electric drive system also has at least one motor configured to receive power from the common bus. The electric drive system additionally has a controller in communication with the at least one motor and the generator. The controller is configured to receive at least one input associated with the motor, to determine a requested motor power as a function of the at least one input, and to operate the generator to produce the requested motor power.
The disclosed systems and methods are directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.